Why Exorcists Exist
by Firebreathing Ghost
Summary: Lenalee and Kanda do not get along. But they'd better learn fast, because they're partners for a mission in North America. Lenalee must learn the importance of being an exorcist... and Kanda will be the one to teach her? Kanda x Lenalee.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything from the D. Gray-man universe, everything belongs to Katsura Hoshino.

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15-year-old Lenalee Li stood in line, waiting for lunch. The line was moving rather slowly that day. They only shifted a little bit each time Jeryy called out "Next!" Lenalee guessed it wouldn't be so crowded if she had waited for 20 more minutes or so. However, she didn't have the time. She was supposed to be at her brother's office in 15 minutes. Squad Leader Reever Wenhamm had told her that a mission had been assigned to her. It would be her first.

Lenalee was very excited, and nervous at the same time. She had been very young when she first joined the Order. Back then, she was not old enough for missions. And even if she were old enough, she definitely wouldn't have been cooperative enough. Back then, to her the Headquarters represented a cage, a prison and hell. Her view of the Black Order did a 180 once her older brother Komui joined. It wasn't so scary with someone she loved there with her. Soon, her hell changed into her home.

Lenalee tapped her foot impatiently. The speed that the line moved averaged slower than a turtle. Lenalee sighed in frustration. She wished she'd gotten here earlier. Or that she was pushier, like the people who had cut in line. She sighed in frustration again. Then, there was an indignant screech from a nearby table.

"Don't you dare talk like that!!!" a man was yelling.

Lenalee turned her attention to the direction of the screecher. A group of Finders were gathered in a semi-circle around a small, thin Finder who, despite his height, seemed like he was in his mid-twenties. The Finder was yelling at a boy in his late teens. The boy had long, dark hair and bangs cut straight across his forehead. A black katana was set in front of him on the table. Lenalee thought they'd been introduced before, but she could not recall his name. She thought he was quite good-looking, even with the unpleasant expression on his face. The people standing in line near Lenalee started whispering, and glancing disapprovingly at the boy.

"What's with you Finders having funerals while I eat?" the boy didn't turn around. He held a pair of chopsticks. Soba was clamped between the chopsticks, which were poised halfway to his lips. "It ruins my appetite."

"How can you say that! Have you no respect for human life?!" the small Finder screeched. The dark-haired boy smirked.

"Why do you expect me to respect your lives if you don't even value it yourselves?" the boy's voice was scornful. He put his food in his mouth, chewed and swallowed before continuing. "Everyone knows that Finders drop like flies here. Your lives _have_ no value. Us exorcists do everything. Us exorcists _are_ _everything._"

"Why, you brat! What gives you the right to act so high and mighty!" the Finder was so angry spit was flying out of his mouth. "I could take you on any day!" The other Finders voiced their agreement.

"Oh?" the boy set down his chopsticks.

He stood up, and finally faced his criticizers. He towered over the small Finder. The boy rolled up the sleeves of his exorcist robes. Without a change of expression, he pulled his arm back and punched the small Finder in the face. He cried out in pain as the fist connected with his face. The Finder staggered backwards from the blow, his friends catching him. The force of the boy's punch seemed to have broken his nose. A waterfall of blood poured down his face. He held his Finder's uniform to his nose, and the red quickly stained his white sleeve.

"Got anything else you want to say, shrimp?" the dark-haired boy stood over him with a superior expression on his face. The small Finder and his friends all glared at the boy, but none made a move. Neither did the people standing in line, although Lenalee could tell they were all annoyed with the boy. As for herself, she'd had just about enough of this bullying.

"Excuse me!" she snapped. Leaving her treasured place in line, she marched over. She stood before the boy with her hand on her hips.

"What do you want?" the dark-haired boy peered down at her.

"I think this outburst was totally unnecessary. What did the Finders ever do to you? Why can't they mourn for their friends?" demanded Lenalee.

"I don't care if they have their stupid little service. Just as long as it's not right behind me," replied the boy. "They're ruining my appetite."

"That's ridiculous! How would _you_ feel if it was one of _your_ friends?!" snapped Lenalee.

"He doesn't have any friends," a Finder told her.

"I can certainly see why!" growled Lenalee. She and the boy glared coldly at each other. Everyone could feel the temperature drop by ten degrees.

"Oi! Kanda! Come with me! I've got a mission for you!" Reever passed by the cafeteria with an armload of paper.

"Yu Kanda!" his name popped into Lenalee's mind.

"I know you, too, Lenalee Li. You're Komui's sister. I heard you're an exorcist," said Kanda.

"Yes."

"Ever been on a mission?"

"No. Why?"

Kanda sneered. "Didn't think so. Someone like you wouldn't last an hour out there," he informed her. Kanda picked up his katana, turned and walked away. He left the cafeteria, walking over to Reever. He followed Reever towards the direction of the stairs, refusing to help him carry anything. Lenalee glowered at his retreating back until he disappeared, and went to the back of the line.

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Head Officer Komui Li was clinging to Reever Wenhamm's leg, sobbing pitifully. The brown-haired Australian man glared down at his Supervisor in disgust. Across the room, Yu Kanda had the same expression on his face.

"No, Reever! You can't! Not my baby sister! _No!!!_" wailed Komui.

"Komui, you know that the bosses decided Lenalee's old enough to go on missions. We've tried to keep her away from them for as long as possible. But all the other exorcists are on other missions. We need her for this one," Reever explained as patiently as he could.

"But _why?!?!_" sobbed Komui.

"I think he just explained," Kanda informed Komui coldly.

"_Why!_ Why must such _cruelty _exist!" Komui let go of Reever's legs, and motioned his arms dramatically towards the sky.

"Hi! I'm so sorry I'm late!" Lenalee raced into the room. "There was a slight situation at lunch!"

"_Don't leave me!!!_" Komui tackled Lenalee in a bear hug and preventing her from seeing the fourth occupant of the room. Kanda saw her right away, and his upper lip curled in disgust.

"For goodness' sake, Supervisor, can't you be mature about this?" asked Reever. Komui shook his head, refusing to let go of Lenalee. Reever sighed. He pulled down some maps, and starting pointing. "Okay. For this mission, you will be going to the colonies overseas. Our North American Headquarters has been giving reports of strange occurrences in a forest near a Native American reserve. They have been investigating, and have confirmed it is Innocence."

"So far away!" Lenalee exclaimed breathlessly, while Komui still kept a stranglehold on her.

"That's not all. Last week, a few boys who wandered into the forest never returned. Three days before that, a group of men went in to hunt, and haven't returned either. Three days ago, the North American HQ went to investigate, and found their bodies completely drained of their innards. We now have reason to believe there is akuma involved," said Reever. "The North American Headquarters have kept the Innocence safe so far, but they haven't enough staff to bring it here. We're sending you, and a few Finders to retrieve the Innocence and take care of the akuma. Lenalee and Kanda. For this assignment, you two will be partners."

"You've got to be kidding me!" exclaimed Kanda. Lenalee finally noticed Kanda. And when she did, she couldn't suppress a loud cry of dismay. Komui echoed that cry.

"I think this is a pretty good arrangement. Kanda, you've been on plenty of missions. This is Lenalee's first time, so you can show her the ropes, no?" suggested Reever.

A greater cry of protest came from Lenalee, Kanda and Komui.

"I'm sorry. You're the only exorcists left. You'll leave tomorrow. You get to go there on a boat," offered Reever as if the boat made everything better.

Lenalee, Kanda and Komui all glared at Reever with murderous intent. Reever began to wonder if the partner arrangements were so wise after all.


	2. Chapter 2: The Trip There

"Share a room?! Is this some kind of joke?" demanded Kanda.

"I thought the Black Order cross granted us anything," added Lenalee, pointing to the cross on her chest.

"It does. These are the cleanest and best cabins on this ship," said Reever.

"We're awfully sorry. There are so many wanting to immigrate, these two rooms were all we could come up with in such short notice," said the crewmember that was showing them around.

"Okay. That's no problem. Li, you take that room, I'll take this one, and you Finders can sleep outside in the halls," decided Kanda.

"No, Kanda! There are two beds per room! The Finders will be sharing one room, and the exorcists will share the other one!" the anger veins on Reever's forehead had never been so visible. "And that's final!"

"Why can't Kanda and the Finders all share one? They're all boys!" Komui was still hanging onto Lenalee.

"Don't be ridiculous, Supervisor!" snapped Reever.

"Oh, my poor, innocent Lenalee! She'll be violated by that beast!" sobbed Komui.

"By who now?" anger veins popped onto Kanda's forehead.

"She will _not_. Thank you for your _time._" Reever told the crewmember through gritted teeth. "Let's _go._" Reever pried Komui away, and dragged him by the collar towards the exit.

"Why don't you get settled in?" suggested the crewmember helpfully. The Finders agreed, and walked into one room. Kanda and Lenalee glared at each other, standing on either way of the door to theirs. The crewmember cleared his throat. "Er… Sir and Madam Exorcist?" Lenalee and Kanda glared for a few more moments. Then, Lenalee marched into the room, and Kanda followed.

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The room was small, but clean. A bathroom connected it to the room with the Finders. There were two small beds on either sides of the room. A small, round window was set in the wall facing the door. There was a small writing desk and chair under the window. There was a clock hanging above the window. There was a lamp on the table. Other than that, the room was bare.

Kanda immediately walked over to the bed located further away from the bathroom, and plunked his suitcase down on it. Lenalee went to the other bed and set her own suitcase down. Lenalee then took out a book and proceeded to ignore Kanda. An hour had passed when someone knocked on her door.

"Sir Kanda? Miss Li?" one of the Finders knocked on their door. Lenalee recognized it as the voice of Timothy. He was a young, blonde Finder barely older than she was. Lenalee had made friends with him during the trip to the harbor. The other Finder was named Toma. He always kept his mouth covered in bandages and looked rather creepy, but appeared to have a friendly personality.

"Yes, Tim?" she called back.

"We're having dinner in fifteen minutes," said Tim. "Toma and I will save you a table at the dining chamber, okay?"

"Okay. Thanks," replied Lenalee.

She glanced across the room to see if Kanda had heard. He was lying on the bed, asleep. He lay on his back, one arm gripping tightly onto his katana. His other arm was crossed over his chest, rising and lowering gently to the rhythm of his breathing. Lenalee was struck by how peaceful he looked. She walked over and examined him. Pale skin, beautiful black hair… the words _Snow White_ came to Lenalee's mind. He really did look very peaceful and calm. Kanda was very handsome, especially in his sleep. Lenalee smiled, thinking of Sleeping Beauty. She sat down on his bed. Lenalee had a sudden urge to meet Kanda's firm, pale lips with her own. She bent her head down, one of her pigtails lightly sweeping across Kanda's cheek. His grey eyes suddenly flew open. She was quite surprised, and jumped off the bed. Kanda spoke, and his voice broke the spell.

"What the hell are you doing?" he demanded.

"Nothing! I'm just waking you up! It's dinner time!" Lenalee was dismayed to hear that her usually cheerful voice had taken on a same pissed-off tone Kanda was famous for.

Kanda narrowed his eyes at her, but seemed to accept her excuse. He sat up. Kanda picked up one of his boots, which was lying on the floor beside him. Lenalee watched. Kanda really was a beautiful human. He fascinated her even though his personality didn't reflect his outer beauty in the tiniest. Kanda finished putting on his boots. His exorcists' robes were folded and placed on top of the chair. Lenalee retrieved them and handed them to him. She noted with annoyance that he didn't even say thank-you. Kanda finished dressing. He stood up and smoothed out his clothes. Then, he faced her.

"Okay, kid, let's get one thing straight," his tone was disrespectful. "I'm your partner, not your baby-sitter. My job is to retrieve the Innocence, not to look after you. I don't care if you're the Head of the Science Department's younger sister. Stay out of my way. Don't hinder me. If you become an inconvenience, I'll leave you behind. If it'll waste time, I won't help you out even if you're close to death. Got that?"

"That's a little harsh," Lenalee protested.

"Too bad. Welcome to the life of an exorcist." And with that, Kanda swept out of the room.

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All night, the tension between Kanda and Lenalee was so thick one could cut it with a katana. Lenalee, Toma and Tim had a lively conversation while Kanda brooded. They tried to include him in their conversations several times, but were met with grumpy glares and failure. Later, they returned to their rooms, Kanda still brooding. The room was quite dark, so Kanda lit the lamp. It was surprisingly bright, and illuminated the room well.

Lenalee gathered her personal supplies and headed for the bathroom. It was small and plain, with a toilet, a sink and a shower stall. There were two doors on either side; one connected to the exorcists' room and the other one connected to the Finders'. Lenalee made certain that both doors were locked. She quickly showered. Remembering her rooming situation, she changed in the bathroom. After brushing her teeth, Lenalee unlocked the doors and reentered her room. She walked in as she dried her hair. When she entered, she saw Kanda sitting calmly on his bed, eyes closed and meditating. A thick, black line had been drawn across the wooden floor of their room, dividing it in two.

"Um… Kanda?" Lenalee approached him. She was almost at the line when Kanda opened an eye.

"Don't go any further!" he commanded, picking up his sword and pointing it at her.

"What's this?" she pointed at the line.

"A line," Kanda stated the obvious. "I take it the shower's free?"

Lenalee nodded. "What's the line for?"

"Dividing our room in half," Kanda retrieved a tower and a few other personal belongings from his suitcase. "You stay on your side."

"This isn't going to work. The bathroom's on _my_ side," Lenalee reminded him, automatically assuming that he would stay on his.

"Did I say _I_ couldn't go on your side?" towel, toothbrush and katana in hand, Kanda crossed the line and headed towards the bathroom.

"What? So I can't go to your side, but you can go on mine?" Lenalee frowned.

"Exactly," nodded Kanda, pleased that she understood.

He then entered the bathroom and proceeded to slam the door shut. Lenalee made a face at his retreating back. Just to vex him, she crossed over to his side of the room. Sitting down on his bed, she continued to dry her hair. Suddenly, she heard a ringing noise. She directed her attention towards Kanda's exorcist robes, which were folded neatly on the writing desk, which he had moved over to his side of the room. The ringing noise seemed to be coming from there. She gingerly lifted up one of the sleeves. A tiny radio golem flew out. It flapped in front of her face.

"Kanda? Lenalee? Everything alright?" It was Reever Wenhamm. His voice was a little fuzzy, but still understandable.

"Hi, Reever! Everything's good. We're on the ship-"

"Kanda, you bastard!!! What are you doing to my poor, defenseless sister?!" Komui Li's voice resonated through the golem.

"Supervisor! Lenalee's fine! I'm talking to her right now!" Reever sounded impatient. "Your brother's really worried about you, as you can probably tell. I'll let you talk to him now."

There was some static as the receiver exchanged hands. Then, Lenalee heard her brother's cheerful voice.

"Hi Lenalee! How are you?" asked Komui.

"Good. How are things over at Headquarters?" inquired Lenalee.

"Paperwork, as usual," Komui sighed. "Hey, where's Kanda?"

"In the shower." The sounds of running water confirmed that fact.

"Lenalee, I took some precautions," Komui's voice became serious. "This is your first mission, and I didn't want you getting hurt. So, I packed some things in your bag for you. Just a few things that may help you out. I put them in one of the side compartments."

"Really?" Lenalee took the lamp and crossed the room. The golem followed. She set the lamp on her bed, lifted her suitcase up and plopped it onto the bed. Unzipping one of the compartments, Lenalee stuck her hand in, and pulled out… " A can of pepper spray?"

"That's right! Just aim for his eyes, and run away while he's temporarily blinded!" Komui's voice was frighteningly upbeat. Lenalee sweatdropped as she pulled out the next item.

"A syringe. What's this clear liquid?"

"Anesthetic. It's the most powerful stuff we have. He'll be out like a light for at least two hours! Keep a few of the syringes with you," Komui advised.

Lenalee rooted around, pulling out some more syringes and cans of pepper spray. Finally, she came upon the last item, which was at the bottom of the compartment. It was a light cylindrical gadget and fit easily in her hand. There was a button on it, and small arrows pointing to one of the ends, which had an opening.

"What's the cylinder?" questioned Lenalee.

"Ah, the paralyzing gun! It's one of my newest inventions! That cylinder is years ahead of our current technology! See that button? Push it!" Lenalee followed his instructions. She heard ugly buzzing sounds, and saw sparks emit from the open side. She released the button, and the sparks disappeared. "Zap him with that, and he won't be able to move for six hours, guaranteed!"

"Brother, this 'he' you're referring to wouldn't be Kanda, would it?" Lenalee sweatdropped.

"Of course! Who else would I be talking about?" Komui was still upbeat. "And remember, Lenalee! A nice, big kick to where it hurts always helps!"

"Thanks for the advice," Lenalee felt embarrassed, knowing that everyone who was in her brother's office could probably hear him. They chatted about other things for a while before they moved back to the topic of Kanda.

"Has he caused to any trouble so far?"

"We haven't really talked too much, but we haven't been fighting either. Kanda's not very friendly," Lenalee confided. "He drew a line down the middle of the room. He can go wherever he pleases, but I'm not allowed to cross to his side. Oh, and then there's that speech he gave about how he's not going to help me even if I'm about to die."

"That sounds just like Kanda," Komui sighed. "Don't feel too bad if you guys don't get along. Kanda doesn't work well with anyone."

"I can tell."

"Just complete the mission. And return safely." Komui stopped talking. Lenalee heard some of his subordinates call to him in the background.

"We have to get to work!" Lenalee heard Reever tell Komui. Komui sighed in exasperation.

"I have to go. This radio golem is the best one we have, but it's not good enough if we're on different continents. I'll call you on the Finders' phones," promised Komui. "Take care, okay? I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Bye." Komui hung up. Lenalee took the golem and lamp, and crossed the line. She was just about to put the golem back on Kanda's robe when he exited the bathroom.

"Didn't I tell you to stay on your side?" snapped Kanda.

Lenalee ignored him, and finished replacing the golem and lamp. She then turned around, to see him sitting on her bed, examining Komui's presents. He had his towel slung over one shoulder. His long hair was soaking wet and plastered to his back, but he still looked beautiful. His pajamas were plain and black, just as Lenalee expected. Kanda had a tight grip on his precious katana.

"What's all this?" he asked.

"My brother packed them for me," explained Lenalee. "They're… precautions."

"Protecting you against the big, ugly beast, huh?" Kanda smirked.

"Komui's very protective of me," Lenalee told him.

Kanda smirked wider. She put her pepper spray and anesthetic back into her suitcase. Kanda mainly watched, until the last of the pepper spray and anesthetic were packed. Lenalee reached for the last item, but he beat her to it. He picked up the cylinder, and squinted at it. He pushed the button, regarding the sparks and buzzing with mild interest. Lenalee snatched it away from him. Their hands brushed. Lenalee felt a slight tingle go up her spine. After all of Komui's presents were inside the suitcase, Lenalee zipped it up, and put the suitcase back on the floor. By then, Kanda had gone to his side of the room. He stood beside the lamp.

"Go to bed," commanded Kanda, extinguishing the lamp. The light of the moon and starts entered the window. It was pale, but she could still see Kanda's silhouette as he threw back his covers and entered his bed. The moonlight was directed towards his side of the room, almost like a spotlight. The light bounced on his inky hair, making it shimmer. Lenalee found herself staring at him again. She really couldn't help herself. Kanda pulled his covers up to his chin, and flipped to face her. Now, his eyes caught the light. His irises gleamed, almost like a cat's. "I'm serious, newbie. If you don't go to sleep right now, I'll _make_ you sleep by knocking you out."

He looked and sounded serious, too. Kanda sat up with his katana in hand, preparing to keep his promise. Lenalee rolled her eyes, and climbed into her bed. She sighed. Why was he so unpleasant? And why was she so intrigued by him?


	3. Chapter 3: Akuma and Arrival

Someone roughly shaking her shoulder wakened Lenalee. She pushed it away. Lenalee turned on her side and pulled the covers closer.

"Wake up!" someone snapped at her nastily. Lenalee frowned. It was Kanda.

"Go away," she suggested.

"I'm tired of doing this every morning. Get out of bed or I'll drag you out!" Kanda commanded.

Lenalee groaned. She knew he was serious. On the first morning, when she failed to believe him, he had literally grabbed her by the ankles and dragged her out. She had learned her lesson after that. Lenalee made a half-hearted attempt to sit up. But she was so tired she flopped back down right away. She pulled her covers back over her. Her bed was so warm and comfortable. She wasn't ready to face the cold that awaited her. Lenalee snuggled deeper into her blanket. Kanda and his threats could wait.

Lenalee felt cold fingers clamp around her ankle. She yelped, and kicked the hand off. "What is your problem?!" she demanded, sitting straight up. Kanda was standing at the foot of her bed with his arms crossed.

"I'm not shouldering your responsibilities while you sleep," Kanda informed her. "Get dressed. Go eat. Meet me at the deck after."

Kanda left the room. Lenalee decided she might as well get up. She dressed and got ready, grumbling to herself the whole time. Although she and Kanda had been roommates for two whole weeks, he hadn't gotten any less unpleasant. Lenalee had hoped that he'd get more pleasant as she got to know him better, but that didn't happen. She hadn't gotten to know him any better either. The only new things she found out about Kanda were that he was 17 (only two years older than she was) and his weapon was his katana, which was named Mugen. And Komui had told her those pieces of information. She and her brother chatted frequently. He called her as often as four times a day, hanging up only when Reever or one of his other subordinates yelled at him to get to work.

Lenalee and Kanda rarely exchanged words. Lenalee usually chatted to Toma and Tim, while Kanda spent most of his time hanging around the deck. Lenalee, Toma and Tim had made several friends on the ship while Kanda mostly stared at the sea and brooded. When she and Kanda were forced to spend time together in their room (like if Toma or Tim were using the washroom, and they had to wait), they stayed on opposite sides of the room. Not really ignoring each other, but not talking either.

When Lenalee went to the dining hall, Toma and Tim were still there. Tim was talking on the phone strapped to his back. When he spotted her, he waved her over.

"She's here," Tim spoke into the phone. He took it away from his ear and offered it to Lenalee. "It's Komui."

Lenalee took the receiver. "Hi, brother."

"Lenalee! Are you okay?" Komui asked her the same question he always started their conversations with.

"Of course. How are you, big brother?"

"Swamped by paperwork, but otherwise fine. I really don't know where all that paperwork comes from! IT seems like it'll never end!" Lenalee could hear tears in her brother's voice.

"Poor brother," Lenalee told him sympathetically.

"Someday, I will invent a robot that will make life easier for everyone here!" declared Komui. "That robot will be like a second version of me! It will do paperwork, and fix exorcists' injuries!" Komui gasped. "Yes! That's it! That's the solution to all of our problems!" Lenalee sweatdropped as she heard a pencil scratching madly. Her brother was certainly a brilliant scientist with excellent ideas. But he really tended to go _overboard_… like with the paralyzing gun.

"Speaking of my inventions, Lenalee, how is the paralyzing gun?" Komui stopped scribbling to ask her.

"I haven't had a chance to test it out." And Lenalee had no plans to.

"Use it when you have a chance! It really does work!" Komui urged her. Lenalee didn't doubt him.

"So, brother, what's North America like?" asked Lenalee.

"North America is a whole continent. The specific name of the country you're going to is Canada. It's still fairly new," replied Komui. "More and more people have been moving there. I haven't been there myself, but I hear it's beautiful."

"How big are the North American Headquarters?" Lenalee wanted to know. Komui was about to answer, when a terrified-looking crewmate burst into the dining hall. He made a beeline for Lenalee's table while everyone else stared.

"Can we help you?" asked Toma politely.

"A-aku-ma!" the horrified man gasped out.

"What?!" Toma, Tim and Lenalee all sprang to their feet.

"Above! On the deck!" wheezed the crewmate. "Please help!"

Lenalee had never really fought an akuma before. She hadn't even seen too many. Lenalee sort of stood there while Toma, Tim and the crewmate stared at her. Slowly, she realized that this was something she had to do.

"I'm on it," she told them bravely. Lenalee dashed off. She ran through the ship, brushing by other passengers, many who had no idea what was going on. Lenalee reached the deck in no time, thanks to her Innocence. Her Dark Boots were secured around her legs, and she half-flew to her destination.

The first thing that came to mind when she saw the akuma were that they were disgusting. A dozen of them floated above them ship, their cannons pointing. Miraculously, they had not begun firing yet. The crewmates had safely relocated the passengers. The akuma were huge, floating, metallic spheres with cannons sticking out of them. Each had something resembling a face stuck into its body. The faces were different, yet identical. Each face had the specific features that belonged to its previous owner, making them unique. However, all the faces were frozen in expressions of pain and sadness. They were painted in black and white, and looked demonic.

"Just like in practice…" Lenalee closed her eyes. She concentrated her energy towards her Dark Boots, just like Komui had taught her. Lenalee willed their cover to unravel, and willed them to show their power, just like when she trained. She willed her holy weapon to activate, just like in practice. _Innocence Invocation!_

Lenalee felt power bursting forth as Dark Boots activated. She kicked off the ground, and felt herself lurch into the air. Lenalee opened her eyes. She was flying with the wind. Flying towards the akuma as if it were a wooden target during practice. Lenalee smiled and tossed her hair saucily. Not so hard after all.

Well, except for the fact that the wooden targets didn't shoot poisonous bullets.

The akuma pointed its cannons at her. There was a dull, metallic clang. And streaks of purple began firing out of the cannons. Lenalee frowned. That was annoying, but not much of a problem. She just dodged the bullets and flipped to its side. She pulled her right leg back, and delivered a hard kick to the akuma's metallic body. Her Innocence glowed brightly. As soon as it made contact, the akuma exploded with a large _bang._ She wondered why Komui was so concerned. Being an exorcist wasn't hard at all. Lenalee turned her attention to the rest of the akuma.

The akuma weren't that smart, but they had spotted her. Now, all eleven of them were focused on her. They slowly floated towards Lenalee. She destroyed another one, but the rest weren't affected at all. They formed a circle around her. All of them pointed her cannons at her. Lenalee twirled around in the air. They were all far enough away that she couldn't reach them too quickly. However, they had her surrounded. She was trapped. They began to fire.

Most of the bullets missed. She did a good job dodging, but eventually, one pierced Lenalee. She felt pain rip her body as soon as it touched her skin. Lenalee winced. She could clearly feel the poising flow through her body as the pentacles appeared, visibly marring her flesh. Her skin began to darker… to grey… Lenalee could feel her strength failing her. The glow disappeared from her Innocence. Lenalee began to fall.

She spiraled down towards the wooden deck. Her Innocence slightly slowed her fall, but she was still heading headfirst towards the deck. The akuma kept their cannons pointed at her. The bullets whizzed passed her. Several struck her, but it didn't matter. Lenalee already felt her body begin to break. _Is this what death is like? Am I dying?_ Lenalee wondered. She closed her eyes, preparing herself for either the impact of skull on wood, or disintegration.

Neither came. Lenalee did crash against something, but it was not the ground. A pair of arms caught her, and she felt them wrap around her. Lenalee opened her eyes. She was still in mid-air, but someone had caught her. Her body was pressed against her rescuer's. Lenalee looked up. She saw the face of someone she thought would be the last to save her. Her eyes met with Kanda's.

"_Bakayaro!"_ Kanda swore at her through gritted teeth. He gracefully landed on the deck, and set her down. "Don't rush in so recklessly! Watch and learn!" Kanda reached to his back and unstrapped his katana.

"Innocence Invocation! Mugen!" He ran two fingers down the black blade. The blade glowed as he activated it. He leapt into the air. Kanda swung his sword with precision, cutting through three akuma. They exploded. Kanda whipped around and slaughtered two other akuma in a similar fashion.

"Netherworld creature! Ichigen!" Kanda swung his blade again. This time, creepy insect-like things materialized out of his katana. They flew towards the remaining akuma. The creatures tore through the akuma, and they exploded. A mood of unrest hung through the air, but it soon faded.

Kanda landed lightly beside Lenalee. He took her by the hand, and pulled her up.

"Akuma bullets won't kill exorcists," he told her. "You'll be fine."

Lenalee looked down at her hands, to see that they were back to their normal hue. She turned back towards Kanda. "What you did was really cool," Lenalee praised him. She was a little amazed and a little more embarrassed that he had destroyed what she couldn't with such ease.

"They were Level 1. Even you should be able to destroy them," Kanda told her.

"I don't know why I couldn't," Lenalee wondered out loud. "I train a lot, and do pretty well in practice. Must've been nerves."

"Don't be stupid." Kanda smirked at her naivety. But he couldn't suppress a hint of fondness for her innocence. "In case you haven't noticed, the training grounds are very different from a real battle. No amount of training inside Headquarters would sufficient for the final battle if you don't face some real akuma." Kanda poked her forehead unkindly with an index finger. "This is a serious mission. Smarten up, baka." With that he turned and walked away.

Lenalee smiled. No matter how rough his words were, Kanda couldn't disguise the fact that he did the one thing he swore he wouldn't. So he wasn't so unkind after all.

"Thanks for saving me!" Lenalee called to his retreating back. Kanda ignored her. Lenalee sighed. Even if he wasn't so unkind, he certainly gave the impression he was.

--------------

"We're finally here!" Tim declared. The exorcists and Finders were now in North America. They were standing in front of a high wooden fence in the middle of a large forest. The fence surrounded the North American Headquarters. Because of the darkness, they couldn't see the Headquarters. It had taken them a long time to find. They had gotten off the ship at noon, but the sky was black when they arrived.

"Pathetic," scoffed Kanda.

"Should we wait for someone to come?" asked Lenalee.

"No way. It's the middle of the night. I'm not waiting," decided Kanda. "A crappy place like this can't have that much personnel." He placed a hand on the gate, and was about to push it in when it was opened from the other side. The person from the other side opened it a crack. Light spilled out.

"Yes?" the person opened the gate a little wider, and peered at them. They could see the person as well. It was a Native American girl, maybe 18 or 19. She looked rather grumpy. Her long, black hair was twisted into braids, one on each side. The girl's brown eyes were narrowed at them suspiciously. She wore a shirt with a Black Order Cross sewed on the chest. Her eyes scanned the group. They narrowed even more when she spotted the Black Order crosses on Kanda and Lenalee's uniforms.

"Is this the North American Headquarters?" asked Toma.

"Yes. I take it you are the exorcists they sent from the Main Headquarters?" questioned the girl.

Toma, Tim, Lenalee and Kanda nodded. The girl opened the gate wide enough to admit them. She waited until they were all inside before she pushed the gate closed and placed the bolts back in place. Now that they were inside, they could see that the North American Headquarters weren't nearly as large as the Headquarters back in Europe. It was only slightly larger than a regular house in England. After seeing everything in place, the girl turned her attention towards them. She smiled. But Lenalee felt slightly put off by her smile. Her face was friendly enough, but there was something odd about her. The girl offered her hand, and Lenalee was the first to clasp it. She winced, feeling how cold her palm was. The girl's fingers were very thin and steely. Almost like a mechanical skeleton…

"Everyone else is asleep, so I'll show you to your rooms." The girl finally let go of Lenalee's hand. Lenalee fought the urge to shake it violently. Instead, she stuck it into her pocket to warm it. "May I ask for your names?"

"I'm Tim. This is Toma," said Tim.

"I'm Lenalee, and he's Kanda," Lenalee told her. The girl smiled so kindly that Lenalee decided she was mistaken. "What's your name?"

"My name is Little Leaf. Welcome to North America."


End file.
